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Arc 2: The Emerald Dawn
This follows the accounts of the Four after the parting of Fendrel, Kar and Sir Lucas, in the slopes of the Cloud Peaks. For the previous section of the journal, click on Arc 1: Northern Storms. Part 1. The Last of the Darkwatch Day 26: The company keeps walking westwards and cross the highlands. They camp on a clearing. During the night, while Sir Lymond was guarding the rest, the Darkwatch Taron approaches and introduces himself. He claims he patrols these lands along with the rest of the Darkwatch and some Cirdaen. He says that he is a close friend to Rhun Wolfsmane and that the two met 2 days ago. Rhun informed him of Galad's fall and that he would keep on patrolling the northern parts and meet him a day later down here. Rhun never showed up and Taron started tracking around. He was eventually led into the entrance of a pretty old ruin of dwarven making. He names it Gorog Ahmerang, the Spike of Trees, a cursed dwarven outpost of the Silverpeak clan that fell in ruins after an internal conflict. The outpost had a number of underground catacombs, that made it an ideal remote place for the man the Darkwatch were after; a sinister lore-master of death, possibly a crazed follower of the dead god Myrkul that seeks to ravage the dead that rest. Taron based on his tracking, believes that Rhun somehow stumbled upon him, was overwhelmed and possibly captured. Taron also knows how the company angered Rhun on the disrespect they showed after Galad's death and forced them to aid him in order to redeem themselves in Rhun's eyes. The company agrees to follow. Part 2. The Shadows of Gorog Ahmerang Day 27: The company and Taron moves north, deeper into the floor valleys of the Cloud Peaks. At night they reach the last hill before the gates of Gorog Ahmerang. They start climbing down the slopes while Taron informs them that this patch of the forest has grown evil, probably a force is at work here, even something beyond the man they're after. During their downward course, they make camp on a patch of rocks and the company is attacked by living trees and a monstrosity made of roots and bushes. The fight was terrible, but the company eventually put the unnatural things down. While the group moved on, Sir Lymond had to fight off the land around him that tried to smite him. Taron thinks it's his divine nature that draws harm upon him. The company has a second fight with these tree-like creatures and they continue down the slope, eventually reaching the entrance at daybreak. Day 28: The company enters a long cave. On the tunnel's end was a great internal cavern onto which the entrance walls and gate of Gorog Ahmerang were. The company saw dozens of dwarven skeletons in armor loitering the floor of the outpost; the remnants of a great battle. Searching through, Sir Lymond discovers a dwarven helmet of great craftsmanship which he takes along. On a balcony overlooking wide and deep corridors, the group is attacked by a great number of dwarven skeletons and a large undead being made of piles of bones. On the peak of the battle, the monster that was thought destroyed, reformed and pushed Bel down the balcony. The wizard came crashing down dozens of feet, losing his senses and breaking his right leg. As a response, Algardo cast the creature down the same fall with a nimble move, leading to its final demise. Climbing down, the group managed to wake Bel up and treated him. Scanning around, Sir Lymond and Vincent discovered the elevator shaft that led deep into the caves underground, a magical crossbow that shot fire called firespit and also three inactive constructs, that Bel later on assumed them to be the magical creations called "guardians". Moving further down, the group battles two of these guardians which became active and brought them down. Through these corridors, they are eventually led into a series of skeleton-filled caves that overlook an internal huge ravine-like, chasmal cavern. The group steps quietly past the undead and soon after they succeed a white dragon sweeps down from the roof of the huge cavern and starts hacking down the stupefied skeletons. The company suspects him to be the same dragon from the Hellfang camp, but cannot really tell. Sir Lymond sees there's no way to cross the only, long bridge across without the beast noticing, so he leads the rest on the back walls of the last cavern and calls the dragon down by clanging his shield. The dragon flies around but halts his attack when Vincent greets him in the draconic speech. A conversation follows that reveals this dragon was Nammon's pet (the man the Darkwatch are after), that his master left him alone for the orcs to torture, and now he seeks revenge. His trouble is that Nammon probably blocked the original dragon's entrance somehow and from this side he cannot access his former master's chambers. The group goes on the bridge and seeks Nammon. They reach some abandoned chambers and finally discover what appears to be a flooded dwarven fort. As they look for a way around the watery court, they uncover the almost drowned body of a human who apparently ate part of a sea monster that roamed the waters, in order to survive. The company discussed on this and presumed that this man is Nightmare, the infamous vampire of old. They bound him tightly and weakened as he was, they left him in a small chamber in order for them to look for Nammon. They manage to get into the main halls of the keep. They scanned through the catacombs and battle a host of skeletons. Soon afterwards, the clash against Nammon himself and a number of skeletons and guardians. Nammon managed to escape after he conjures walls of ethereal blades and undead knights to protect his way out. In the end, he seems to break a talisman down to the stone floor, conjuring a huge, slick black dragon and flying away somehow, escaping Gorog Ahmerang and the company that pursued him. The company barely managed to destroy all the creatures (only Bel and Vincent remained standing) and then they look around the place. They rest in Nammon's chamber and they uncover a pile of parchments of possibly divine magic content. Taking a better look down the catacombs, they discover a hidden chamber. It appears to be a lab, and among the tubes and butchered bodies, they find Rhun Wolfsmane; naked, tortured and lobotomized, barely able to move or nod. Taron, devastated, picks up Rhun and starts carrying him out. Lymond takes Rhun's possessions and the whole group follows out. The company see the white dragon beheaded and impaled on the bridge (Sir Lymond collects some of its blood) and on the way out Sir Lymond activates a clockwork horse by using part of the dragon's blood and part of his own, and the steed follows his commands blindly. The group rests on a clearing. Nightmare is barely able to move and asks for blood. Vincent offers some. Nightmare and the Company then have a conversation; the old vampire admits that he is indeed that creature of old, that he has been alive for centuries, how he fell from Myrkul's grace and he is left alone, the story of Darkness and Targail, the lore around the seven Seals of Myrkul and his grand plan, and finally how he is tired and regretful, willing to help Amn this time and then disappear to the north. He reveals that Rhun was as old as himself and that he was a werewolf with two sons - Taron the werebear and Galad the wereeagle. Taron confirms this and insists on taking Rhun to the easternmost part of the Cloud Peaks, where the Emerald Enclave is rooted. Nightmare leaves the group to further check on the Cloud Peaks for more cells of Myrkul's followers. The vampire agreed with the Company on a meeting at his fortress, in three tendays. Nightmare departs and the Company takes a short rest till dawn, when their journey east begins. Part 3. To the East Day 29, 30: The Company begins for the east. The first day holds no events. They leave the hills and meadows of the Goldplains to exit Crimmor's juristiction altogether. The land becomes mountainous and covered with forests. On the second day, the rain forces them to stop at noon. Algardo passes out while collecting firewood. In his dizziness, he saw a part of a big battle amongst knights, some old women screaming from a city's balconies and packs of people and animals running about. Among them, he noticed a red fox once more. He wakes up after Taron and Lymond discover him. They return to the camp and sleep from that afternoon until the following dawn. Lymond has a dream where he meets Lucas. The latter informs the knight of Fendrel's captivity by Amnish soldiers, of Kar's death and of Algardo's weak mind and vulnerability to something that hunts him down from Arhiod. Lymond also sees Algardo struggling with invisible threats and the red fox. He wakes up at dawn. Day 31: On the road, Algardo sees another red fox in some bushes. On a better view, the group discovers a 3-foot cocoon on a tree. The Company moves on through the forestland and cross a low ravine. Amongst the cracks, they find more cocoons and are attacked by a number of monstrous spiders, which Bel and Vincent recognize as deathjump spiders (similar to the one in Amon's tomb) supporting a blade spider. The Company easily defeat the creatures, some of them ending up slain and others fleeing. They move on and exit the ravine, entering the thick woods once more. Taron speaks of the village they are about to reach for supplies. At the moment, the Company moves across the Cloud Peaks, north and out of Amn's authority and the warrior will not risk going back into the country's proximity for supplies (the closest village on their way would be Winter's Spring, according to Taron). The Darkwatch will take them further on the peaks, to a community of secluded outcasts; a village that has no name. By nightfall, they reach the place. Taron walks into their leader's home, where he discovers him sleeping on his bed. On the floor next to him and also sleeping, is a Cowled Wizard. Standing above them, watching them, is another Outcast. Through conversation, the Company does not learn much from the Nameless' apathy. Only that the community's leader has been sleeping for days or weeks, as is the Wizard on his side. Vincent recognized the standing Outcast as his former tutor and master. Wreaked with grief, he tries to learn more but his master fails to remember anything. Vincent gives up and removes himself outside. Another eerie Outcast drops a stone ring phylactery on Bel's feet and walks out again. Bel unsure, picks it up without touching it and places it in his pocket. He asks the man about the village, the sleeping men or this stone ring, but the Outcast seems oblivious. Vincent tries to wake up the two sleeping men but fails. Algardo passes out for a few seconds, with no visions or dreams. Vincent notices the eerie scarred Outcast and removes his clothes to study him. When he views his back, Vincent fall to his knees in agonizing pain, his face bleeding. The scream is heard and the Company pick him up. Altogether now, they search around the village's homes. They discover a black raven's feather under the leader's bed. Vincent forces the stone ring into the Wizard's hand and after some shocks, he wakes up. The Wizard seems as oblivious and lost as the rest of the Outcasts. When Vincent tries to wake up the leader also, it seems to be killing him so he stops. Bel confirms a symbol on the Outcasts back to be a symbol used for portal rituals for one who wishes to exit Dis, the second layer of Hell. After Vincent remotely realizes the nature of the ring, he forces himself to hold it. Eventually, he faints. Bel consults with Lymond and the mage decides to follow. He eats the last of the conies and holds the ring, which causes him to also faint. The remaining company occupy a formerly empty home and sleep. Lymond tries to dream of Lucas but fails; Lucas in the dream ignores the paladin. Also in the dream, Lymond sees Algardo dying and living again in his arms while holding a dead fox. Taron is replaced in guarding by Lymond, who wakes up. Taron informs the knight that the scarred Outcast watches them from afar, and then falls asleep.Lymond thinks his sword whispers. He takes a walk through the village, on his horse, and then falls asleep. Part 4. Into the Dream Day 32: Taron and Lymond wake up to find Algardo is unable to awake, like the others. Lymond succumbs to the stone ring himself. Lymond finds himself in his old ceremonial armor, sitting in a throne like seat, inside what appears to be a temple to Waukeen. Across him, he sees himself likewise sitting down. They apparently perform the same moves and speak the same words and when this game leads them to sit on each others seats, the second (or fist) Lymond attacks the other and slices him down with Karsomyr until he dies. On the last drive of the sword through the fallen's heart, the sword loudly whispers "Don't you remember me?" and all goes black. Vincent finds himself in the eye of a dark tornado, barely able to see. Two devils of fire and ice attack him. When Vincent cuts down one, a third one of storms appears. When another dies, a fourth one, huge black and fiery appears. When Vincent is about to give in he sees Lucas advising him not to die no matter what. On the devil's final attack, Vincent uses magic and teleports Lucas in his place, killing him instantly. Satisfied, the devil walks away with his victim in his hand and all goes black. Algardo faces himself in the same kind of vortex. The second Algardo wears elite Tethyrian armor and has a cunning smile. A fox runs around his legs. After a short bluffing chat, the two engage in combat and the Amnish Algardo has his belly ripped open while the Tethyrian has his throat sliced. The fox tries to talk sense into both of them, once talking to the Amnish Algardo and then to the other one in an ancient form of the common tongue. Eventually, both of them yield and kneel down before their wounds and all goes black. Bel is in a similar place himself, the same pit but a huge chasm separates him from the other side, where his uncle stands. The man appears to hold the same items that Bel holds. They meet up around the chasm and chat about his uncle coming back for him, to take him to the Enclave wizards. Apparently, Bel thinks his uncle sees him as a little boy still, talking about his broken legs and his sister and his parents. In the end, Bel agrees to follow his uncle on this journey and all goes black. The whole company appears in a likewise dark piece of flat earth, floating in a void. Only Vincent and Algardo stand. Taron, Lymond, Bel and the village leader are laying on the ground, under the feet of a tall, skinny and devilish old woman. She has long whipping hair and wears rags and bones and stones, bracelets and phylacteries. She attacks Algardo with a wave of her hands and the latter falls unconscious to the ground. Vincent charges and cuts down her back. She wails, eyes her attacker and then flows into Algardo's body like a fuming smoke, vanishing. Vincent had already a magical bond with his foe, and was able to follow her through. The pair ends up in a scenery that resembles Algardo's home village. Everything seems abandoned and long burned. Algardo is tied up on a tree and Vincent is before him, facing the old woman. Vincent manages to strike hard at her, but she manages to also put him down, like she did before on Algardo. Algardo regains some strength and unties himself. He wakes Vincent up. The two converse about what happened and they seem equally at a loss. In the meantime (possibly), the old woman wounded and barely able to breathe, appears back in the flat void, coughing blood on the earth. Lymond wakes up by an unknown knight in chain mail and plates. He wakes him up with force and urges him to pick up the sword and slay the witch for as he says he has to. Lymond drags himself close to her and with one powerful effort, he severs her head. The sword glows with the ghostly residue the witch's body leaves behind and then everyone holds hands, Bel uses the ring and all wake up in the village. Everyone but Vincent, who is still asleep. Lymond finds the scarred Outcast attempting to choke him, while the whole group rushes to help put him down. The scarred man is so furious and in such a frenzy that veins pop out and his wounds reopen. Two eyes appear, one in each of the man's palms and under the stitched scars. Lymond stabs them both and Taron holds him down. The warrior urges them to use the stone ring again and help Vincent out, while he guards this Outcast. Algardo says that he is conscious in two places. The Company makes an effort by using the ring again to access that place that Algardo talks about. Vincent sees the Company get close to him, coming out through some house doors. The Company see Vincent after they come out of some houses. They speak words of comfort. Vincent does not allow them to get close. Vincent sees his master, alive and well, prodding him to let them close in and see what happens, in full irony. Vincent slices them all in a sweep and then all fades and reforms as it was. The Company comes out of the doors again and close in on Vincent. He does not allow them to and eventually runs into one of the opened house doors. All goes black. Part 5: The Straits of Arhiod (no day or time account) Lymond, Bel and Algardo follow Vincent into the house. Lymond escapes an arrow as he walks in, which lands on the earth. They find themselves in pitch blackness. Bel casts a light spell and Algardo uses a sun-rod. The lights are suppressed and the voices are muffled and distant. Stumbling around, they reach the walls and a lamp. They light it and the room is illuminated normally. The voices come back to normal volumes. The three realize that Vincent is in the same room. They are within a small common room of a farmer's house, vaguely familiar to Algardo. There are no windows and only two opposing exits, a fireplace and some worn out furniture. The one door opens into a waterfall sheet and the other opens up in the shaft of a well. Bel tries the stone-ring to escape this place but feels like he failed. From that point on, the ring seems magical no more. A flame erupts in the fireplace that has a face. With a deep voice he speaks "I'm after you!" and fades into thin air. Checking the waterfall, the water is freezing (actually turned Vincent's flask of water into ice). Algardo realizes that under the floor planks there's dirt. Under that more planks and under those there's water. He gives up the concept of escaping that way. Vincent decides to climb down the shaft. Using rope, he goes down but appears to move further than he should be, given the time he actually climbed down. At some point, the rope is cut and Vincent loses touch with the rest of the group. He stands on an empty bottom of a well, unable to go anywhere. A male voice tempts him to strike a deal with him and in return he'd be free. Vincent asks what the deal is and the voice replies that he would let him out of here if Vincent brought him the stone-ring, or he would remain here to die of starvation and thirst. Eventually, Vincent refuses and he is left alone, weakened by the minute. Algardo is worried and decides to follow. Lymond ties the rope to the fireplace and both he and Bel hold it even tighter. Algardo starts going down and he experiences the same effect of going further than he was supposed to. From the bottom of the shaft, but upside down, he sees himself again dressed in fancy soldier outfit climbing up (down?) towards him. The soldier Algardo curses and draws a sword. Algardo shoots with his crossbow and pierces the soldier's neck. The wounded lets go and falls deep down (up?) into (out of?) the well. Algardo swoops and grabs the other man's rope. While holding each in his hands, he hears the fox's (probably) voice in his head saying "now you get to choose". Algardo yells at the idea of the fox and she responds "Ah, ok let me help you out. This rope leads up and that rope leads...up." and the voice is never heard again. Algardo clings to his original rope and climbs down. He reaches the water at the bottom of the well (whereas Vincent found no water) and after some thought, he dives in. Bel decides to follow. He instructs Lymond to climb down the rope and Bel would follow with a spell that would cause him to float slowly down like a feather. As the two go down, Lymond is targeted by an arrow which pierces through his heart. He starts falling down and Bel notices. He casts a spell and creates a magical web that actually manages to hold Lymond and stop the fall. Bel keeps floating down and decides to merge in the well's watery bottom. Lymond is half-conscious on the web and a tall humanoid figure of pure light and flame hovers above him. He speaks he the same deep voice they heard from the fireplace "You are an easy one". It touches Lymond's face with his palm and then lets him fall down in blackness into the water. Part 6: The Ways (no day or time account) Lymond, Bel and Algardo are standing on an island-like piece of earth floating on an empty void-like blackness. Lymond bears a great scar over his left eye and cheek. There is only one corridor leading away from this. They follow it and reach a second island. There is a massive scale that sits in the center of this land mass and on the other side, stone steps lead up and away from this point. The scale has two dishes. On the left there a chubby hand and also an eyeball. The other dish holds a piece of cloth that resembles a small scale banner, which is black and depicts a red fox. After some thought and discussion (Algardo breaks down, considering all this his fault) Lymond picks up the eye from the scale. The balance shifts and the fox weighs down the other side. Lymond feels a terrible pain on his hurt eye and within seconds it explodes into a spring of blood followed by scorching flame. When the effect finally wears out, Lymond is kneeled down feeling no pain, having an empty socket where his left eye used to be. As the three stand there, the tall figure of light and flame appears and speaks to Lymond of sacrifice that was needed. Algardo shoots a bolt and moves back. Bel casts an ice spell on the creature but fails and drops back. Lymond strikes the creature and he also seems to hurt himself. A second spell from Bel, also freezes Lymond as if he took the hit. The group halts the attack and the creature speaks to Lymond again. It speaks of Carsomyr and how it is the strongest of "them" and its "generation", about the loss of the eye probably and that it was a necessary sacrifice, and about Lymond letting himself believe so that after this journey of his, he will be able to join the creature and grow stronger and become better. Lymond discard the creature and it walks away. The group moves up the steps and find a door. Opening it, they find Vincent on the floor of the well half-dead of starvation, as if they walked in it. Vincent speaks of what he experienced and so do the other three. Moving back down the steps, they see the scale again balanced. On the dishes there is an adult man's hand with an encrusted ruby and on the other dish there's an old man's hand with an eye on the palm. Vincent connects the ruby to the symbol of Asmodeus. Bel rests the stone-ring on the old man's palm to no result and picks it up again. Vincent feels better. The group moves back to the starting land mass. There are two stone disks standing up on the ground, like two massive and round doorways. They are solid and made stone, about 2 inches wide. One of them is red and the other is gray. Algardo gets angry with this desperate situation and at the same time the empty void becomes walls and cyclones of flame. Vincent moves back to the scale and casts and ruby hand into the fires. They move back to the disk and they turned into light and energy swirls instead of stone of the same color. As the group discusses on where to go, Lymond speaks with Waukeen while grasping Carsomyr and asks of guidance and pledges himself to the words of the creature of light. He says he commits himself to her and let himself to be guided. He realized he walked a few steps and stopped before the red portal. He speaks his mind and walks in. Algardo follows. Bel and Vincent who suspect Asmodeus on the ruby and the Nine Hells for the red portal, hesitate, but follow in the end. Part 7: Wastes of Avernus (no day or time account) The Company stands in Avernus, as Vincent recognizes. The landscape is ragged and craggy, the skies dark and heavy. The clouds keep raining blood and tears and each one appears to be a human face twisted in agony. This is the First layer of the Nine Hells, the eternal battlefield of the Blood Wars and home to the Archdevil Lord Bel. Lymond follows a broken path down a mountain slope. Eventually the group follows and they all reach a cave large enough to protect them for a while. As soon as they walk in, the cave closes in around them with a slam, as if it was the mouth of a beast. A bestial voice is heard, asking for a deal with the Company; agree in killing a devil soldier and this voice will let them out of the cave and spare them a death from starvation. Lymond agrees, much to the others' astonishment. The caving opens up and Lymond starts going uphill. Bel passes out and the remaining two decide to stay there and take care of him. Vincent grows more and more impatient and nervous that they found themselves in the Hells. Lymond crosses the mountain, goes through a ravine and reaches broken plains coated with dust and ashes. Lakes of lava ring around him. Lymond has grown so tired that exhaustion gets the best of him and he falls unconscious. When he wakes up, armor-clad devils loom over him. The one that appears to lead them, taunts the paladin. Lymond makes an effort (spirited by Karsomyr) to assault but weakly crumbles to the ground. The devil mocks and teases the paladin and eventually makes an offer. The devil will show Lymond the way back to Faerun at the time they left it, if he will kill a mortal for him, called Bel Mikal, at a time of the devil's choosing. Lymond agrees. The devils strip armor parts and cloth from his body and hit him until he loses consciousness again. When Lymond wakes up yet again, he is half-naked holding only Karsomyr with him. His hair and beard appear to be gone to flames, and both his eyes are ripped out of his skull. He gets up and starts moving back towards the cave, blind as a newborn. Vincent decides to move out also, to try and track Lymond down. Algardo stays to take care of Bel. Vincent moves up the slopes too but as soon as he reaches the top, he fails to hold on to the acrid environment and passes out. He wakes up gently by Izekeil. He is dressed in long black robes and asks of Vincent's help in pushing open the devil grasp from Amn, for there is a follower of Asmodeus in Athkatla that holds Izekeil's body and soul and the latter wants to be released and die a peaceful death. He is willing to teach all he knows to Vincent. The swordmage's will grows stronger in this place, fortifying his beliefs and his faith in humanity for achievements. He refuses the offer and Izekeil leaves him be. Vincent wakes up alone on the mountaintop where he originally fell. In the distance, he spots Lymond approaching blindly. The two meet up and speak of what happened. Lymond describes how he failed to defeat the devils and he denies any further dealings with the devils, something that does not sit right with Vincent. Vincent also noticed a carved symbol on Lymond's back; the insignia of Avernus, and instantly knows that the paladin's soul belongs to them. In the meantime, Lucas appears in the cave and meets up with Algardo in his dream. Lucas speaks of the late dream that Algardo had, with him and Fendrel rowing down a river full of other boats. Lucas believes that Algardo is more powerful in shifting as he initially thought and it shows more now that Fendrel in not so close. He thinks these two men did not come close since childhood by mere chance, but fate. Lucas says that he will be in Crimmor in the real world and see what can be done further on. Algardo wakes up. Lymond and Vincent walk in the cave and Bel feels a tad better too. A short discussion follows on all that happened and Lymond cuts them short by asking them to walk with him towards the way out of Avernus. They do follow him through canyons and plains, eventually entering a dark tunnel and reach a pitch black spot between two great boulders. They walk in and delve in the dark so deep that the crimson environs of Avernus cannot be seen anymore. Part 8: Ere the Dead will Judge the Dying (no day or time account) The Company emerges from the darkness and into what appears to be a man-made empty cellar. They climb up two stories and exit into the ground floor of a long destroyed watchtower. The walls around them are half-gone and beyond that they see rolling hills and forestland. The skies are grayish and the winds cold though it feels like Faerun. A few miles away, they see a great city. It appears empty and in ruins and soon enough they realize that this is Imnescar, the city that was lost to the Sothillisian Ogres almost a century ago. The Company walks down the slope towards the city and they reach what they recall to be the Fox's Gate from the stories of this place. They discover a building that looks like it belonged to the public and also seems quite intact as opposed to others, and take refuge in it. They spread out for a few hours and they regroup bearing game, weeds and wine enough to last them for a couple of days. They take rest in that building for the night, surrounded by the eerie silence of the dead city. In the next morning, Algardo scan the near by area for food. The skies appear dark and moody, a scenery fit to a late winter evening than a morning. Besides a handful of weeds, Algardo spots a black steed lost in the streets of the city. His attempts to befriend it fail and he decides to leave it be. He later shares the news with the rest, and they have a poor meal. Vincent heavily questions Sir Lymond concerning the events on Avernus. Convinced that the knight holds something back, he decides to end the conversation, urging the paladin to remain away from Bel, who never woke up from the night sleep. The following day, the Company walk the streets together and find the steed. A number of blocks away, they stumble upon an empty husk of a building, that houses a number of cages with twelve naked prisoners, a mix of men, women, old folk and children. There are some animals caged as well. Vincent spots that the women and children are folk of the Wolf Tribes from the east. Their captors appear to be a group of gray-skinned creatures, most of them skinny and tall, accompanied by a black hound. After a short planning, Vincent runs and creates a diversion, having the creatures follow him. Algardo and Sir Lymond rush and discover only a man and a boy alive. They unlock the cages and pick them up, heading back into the Company's safe house by the gate of the city. Meanwhile, Vincent manages to leave the humanoids behind but the hound is fast and catches up with him. Man and animal wound each other and the rest catch up to them, at which point Vincent heavily slices the hound and runs, discovering that the creatures hunt him down no more. Vincent finds refuge in a broken building that overlooks a part of the city; it appears as if blocks of the district sunk down or were demolished and in their place, a lake emerged. The lake is surrounded or guarded by a dozen or more of these gray creatures. Vincent lets some time go by, and then comes out and returns safely to meet the Company. In the safe house, the Company manages to get some rest again. They soon realize that the physical body of Bel vanished in thin air, leaving all his possessions and clothing behind, much to everyone's worry and puzzlement. They manage to wake the man up. After the initial shock, he realizes he is amongst humans and relaxes. Introducing himself as Thomen Kailen, he poses as an ex-commander of mercenaries and nobles' guard while back in Athkatla, and as a hunter of the undead for a while now. He admits that a necrotic unrest led him to this city where he was captured by the strange creatures that still elude him of their nature. Eventually, the boy also awakes and behaves like a cornered animal, allowing no one to get close. The Company notices that his body was once painted in colors, that his teeth are sharpened and that he has a particular interest in Bel's clothing. After some doubts, they let the boy close and it curls himself into the clothes, probably escaping the cold in the air. The Company leaves him be. Part 9: Perspectives (no day or time account) A group decision leads them to leave the boy in the house with some food, and themselves to venture into the city in order to reach a Waukeenar temple that Sir Lymond recalls in Imnescar. When they exit the building, they notice a strange occurrence to the gate. As they move close, they realize that beyond the gate, a sea took the place of the hills and plains. An endless sea of blackness, filled with the floating bodies of dead men and women. The water body appears to leak towards the sky, an odd event that the Company could not explain. They turned backed and decided to follow the plan concerning the temple. The group manages to evade a number of the gray creatures, ruined buildings and lakes, keeping their distance from former wide streets or plazas. Eventually and after a couple of hours, they reach the temple of Waukeen, know as Spring of Gold. The building appears as a shadow of its former glory, a thing of white marble and stone, crowned with a golden dome that is mostly looted an aeon ago, leaving only small pieces as a reminder. The Company walks within and find it empty and full of dust and cobwebs. Sir Lymond kneels before an altar that still holds holy water, and holds Karsomyr before him. From the ruined gates behind them, 6 spiritual forms appear, vaguely in a human shape. Bathed in white light and shrouded in short, colored flames, the spirits approach and spread out in a row before them. They introduce themselves as Karsomyr, Thoramyr, Erygen, Dorophel and Adolin. The spirit in white flame spoke no word and uttered no name for itself. The spirits explained that the guardian of Myrkul is close-by, probably protecting a seal. The spirits insist that before any attempt to reach the guardian, the Company should walk with them across the city, an escort around their vulnerability to the dark, and reach the Stormwatch; a shut down cathedral dedicated to Torm, lifeless for a hundred years now. There they should consult the Eye of Fates, to fathom events and share a view to the depths of the river of destiny, as they put it, and them become one with the spirits, merging against the threat. The Company agrees and escorts the floating spirits from the Spring of Gold. On the way, a patrol of gray people confront them. The spirits turn to immovable pillars of light and the Company fight its way through this threat, managing to slay or drive way their attackers. The Company and spirits eventually reach the old cathedral. The spirits open the gates, and everyone enters the temple. After witnessing the interior designs, banners and statues, the group moves down through the four basements, each a great area filled with treasures, into the fifth which is smaller and contains a single piece of wonder; the Eye of Fates. A structure of old, the Eye appears as a white marble circle standing up on a black marble base. One after another, the Company enter the Eye. Thomen stands back. Part 10: Duty A perfectly healthy and unscathed sir Lymond finds himself in his family's estate in Athkatla. He is in his personal bedroom, receiving breakfast and a letter from the clergy, directing him on a transfer to Valladilene. He has a short conversation with his cousin about his fears, and later he informs his that his father is in the rear garden. Sir Lymond exits the estate and treads the gardens. In a podium sitting in the midst of the small grove, he spots an old woman, weaving threads coming down from the trees around her. She weaves them into a nondescript piece of clothing. She looks up, smiles and all turns white. When the flash fades, the woman and the cloth is gone. Sir Lymond spots the gardeners hut in the back. He moves in and the door closes behind him, leaving him in an unnaturally dark place, surrounded by silence and dozens of garden tools. Through the window, he sees Valladilene in flames. He exits to see the buildings crumbling and the Golden Tree church before him. He enters the church which is empty of life, and as soon as he reaches he sees a similar old lady, dressed in black. She looks vile and disturbed, destroying a piece of cloth into threads. She spits the ground before her as soon as she sees the knight. The central part of the structure breaks and descends upon him. Sir Lymond, again in darkness, pushes up the debris to find out he is in a sewer, most likely one belonging to a great city. He sees a full set plate armor in pieces around him, and Karsomyr as well. The armor looks intimidating, full of edges and spikes, spewing blood out of a number of openings on the plates, with a full face helmet. Sir Lymond puts everything on only to realize the armor is as cursed as it is powerful. Locked on his body, the armor can only be removed by a god, offering him extended lifetime and an exaggeration of his physical abilities. Sir Lymond follows a light down a tunnel and discovers yet another room, part of the sewers as well. A small round chamber, it holds merely a wooden table. On it, there is a card rear side facing up. It is purple with three concentric circles in white. Turning it around, sir Lymond sees the card is the Wheel of Fortune. He keeps the card and keeps on moving into the light, eventually becoming fully bathed in white light. Part 11: Honor Algardo Raguelez shares a basement hideout with four other thieves from his gang. They all discuss heavily on a failed effort to rob a noble's estate, resulting in people getting caught up with the guards, and possibly killed. The group blames Algardo's plan for this, and Algrado himself leaves the hideout. He pays a visit to the higher districts, where the Alhaine Manor is, and climbs up Fendrel's window. They have a short discussion on Fendrel's Earlhood in the coming days and of Algardo's captive friends, seeking help to release them, and of Algardo's fears. Fendrel states that he will look into it while offering a place by his side when he takes up on his duty as Earl. The two arrange for another meeting. Algardo returns to the hideout, but before he reached it, he sees a number of guards with a wagon cleaning up the place, arresting people and putting them on the vehicle. Algardo runs away. All goes black. Algardo then finds himself in the green of his home village. The place appears destroyed and looted. Algardo opens up a door and an old woman dressed in white sits inside, weaves threads into cloth. She looks up, smiles, and all turns white.